Graciously
by Emilia Rachana Copper
Summary: There's a place in Gotham for the elite and the criminally elite. There's someone that doesn't fit either of these places and has gained respect from both sides. A homicide has been committed and she's the only suspect. No one likes it, but a crime is a crime. And no good deed goes unpunished.
1. Chapter 1

**AN- So I got really into Gotham and I wanted to explore the characters as I'm doing a cosplay and I really like writing villains so everything works out, ultimately. Hope you guys enjoy!**

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Gotham was not a place for the kind hearted, for the golden hearts. Yet, that didn't stop the few who shined through. Haven Kooris didn't have a tragic backstory or some mental illness, she was just some normal girl that lived in Gotham. Well, 'normal' was relative here. Her story begins when she was in middle school, only thirteen years old and brand new to the town. Here, new meat was nearly unheard of. Everyone knew everyone and word traveled fast. Already she had gained a reputation of the "uppity girl." In Gotham, you were one of the elite or you won't, and you stayed on your part of town. However, Haven was in Gotham Middle School instead of the local private school where she had gotten numerous offers and even scholarships (even if she didn't need them) to one of the most prestigious schools in the US.

"What's a classy girl like you doin' in a place like this?" Arnold Flass leaned against the door frame, blocking Haven from exiting to lunch.

"I'm just here to go to school, so if you could let me go past you, I'm really hungry." Haven said kindly, gripping the strap of her back pack tighter.

Arnold gave her a leering once over and rolled back against the wall outside of the classroom.

"Hey, give me a phone call if you want to study some chemistry if you know what I mean." Arnold called after her.

"Thanks," Haven smiled and turned to keep walking.

Sure, the people were rough, but they all seemed willing to be nice to her. She had no reason to dislike them or anyone. Haven walked through the now quiet halls, she was late to lunch but it's not like anyone would notice. Some grueling sound drew Haven from her daydream; the sound of someone pleading for mercy and the pound of flesh and bone against more flesh. She followed the sound to find a group of guys surrounding something and throwing punches and kicking something.

"Please stop, I'll do anything, please!" A high voice called.

"Ya shouldn't've told if ya didn't want to get beat!" A voice growled.

Haven tried to get a glimpse of what was happening. She looked down the hall and couldn't see any adult. She gathered up some courage and licked her lips.

"Hey boys, I'm still getting lost and it seems like some of the girls ditched me, could you fellas save me a table at the lunchroom? I'd sure enjoy the company." Haven smiled sweetly as the group turned around to face the newcomer.

"Haven, you're too pretty to be sitting alone. Of course we'll sit with ya." Butch Gilzean gave her a thousand watt smile.

"I'll meet you down there, I just need to freshen up a bit." Haven winked and twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

A chorus of 'alrights' and whistles game from the group of guys as they shoved each other towards the lunch room, taking a few good eyefuls of the girl. Once they had turned the corner, Haven dropped her backpack and rushed to the boy on the ground.

"Are you alright?" Haven asked after dropping to her knees next to him.

A sniffle came in response.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to help." Haven said sweetly and lightly touched the boy's shoulder who flinched in response.

He relaxed and rolled slightly to face her, wincing as he must've rolled over a bruise on his back. His eyes were red from crying, but the rings around them were definitely black and blue.

"Thanks for helping me," he sniffled and rubbed his nose.

"Of course, Oswald? Isn't it?" Haven asked and helped the boy sit up.

"Yes, I-I-I'm Oswald Cobblepot." He held out his hand which was covered in snot.

Haven laughed and glanced down at his hand.

"How about we get you cleaned up before we shake hands?" Haven laughed and Oswald blushed, turning away.

Haven braced herself and threw his arm closest to her over her shoulders.

"Nice and easy, don't hurt yourself." Haven said and slowly rose to help him to his feet.

With a lot of wincing and 'ouch' Oswald finally got to his feet. The two started off to the nearby restroom after grabbing Haven's backpack.

"So how did you end up getting beat up by a bunch of thugs on the floor during lunch?" Haven asked as Oswald sat on the bathroom counter.

"I snitched, I caught them smoking over by the field and I told on them." Oswald said softly and pulled away as Haven dabbed a wet cloth on his bloody lip.

"At least you were trying to do the right thing." Haven sighed as she focused on his cuts and bruises.

"Not really I just wanted to get them in trouble. They beat me up almost everyday after school. I thought that if they got detention, I'd finally get a break."

"Well that wasn't a particularly smart plan," Haven frowned and pulled away.

Oswald nodded and turned to look at himself in the mirror.

"No worse than usual. Thank you for helping me again." Oswald smiled at the girl and clenched his hands on the edge of the counter.

"No need for thanks, they shouldn't have been hurting you." Haven responded and her stomach growled.

"Oh you missed lunch, I'm sorry." Oswald frowned and he tried to get off the counter.

"Hey, easy easy. I'm sure you're going to have a few nasty bruises tomorrow so go easy on yourself. We have a few minutes before class starts and you haven't eaten either. My mom always packs enough for two anyway. I don't mind sharing."

"A-are you sure? I don't want to put you out." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.

"No worries, besides, what kind of friend would I be if i save you and then let you go hungry. Come on, I'll help you to the courtyard." Haven reached up and held her arm out for Oswald to use as a brace for him to get down and not hurt himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN- So I am still writing this story, just between work and school and the con I was at this weekend, my ability to sit down and write was hindered. I'll try and keep updating as much as possible!**

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 **"** **Hey, Haven! Want to come to my house after school to work on the project?" Oswald walked over to Haven's desk as she started putting away her things.**

"Of course, Ozzy! I want to get it done as soon as possible. My family wants to go out of town this weekend." Haven rolled her eyes and made a gagging face.

"You're leaving?" Oswald said slowly.

"Only for the weekend, silly. The Wayne's asked us to go with them to their new place or something. Maybe I can see if you can come with me?"

"I don't know, I've never met your family and I don't want to impose."

"Calm down, it's alright. I'm sure it'll be fine. Come on, let's go to your house." Haven smiled and stood from her desk.

Oswald smiled and the two began the half hour walk to his place.

When they finally got there, his mother was playing some Russian Opera. Oswald and Haven giggled as they peaked around the corner to find his mother dancing with an invisible partner. Her hair was in a wild mess and the lacy dress accented by the pink scarf draped around her floated in the air as she moved.

"My darling is that you?" Oswald's mother called over her shoulder after hearing the front door close.

"Yes, mother, it's me. I brought a friend over." Oswald said and waved Haven to follow him.

"A friend! My darling has a friend! What's his name?" She asked loudly over the music.

" _Her_ name is Haven Kooris. Can we turn down the music a little?"

" _Her_? You know better than that my dear Oswald, women are only manipulators. She will trick you." Oswald's mom grabbed the arm on the victrola.

"She's not going to trick me, she's too nice for that."

"Girl's are _never_ 'too nice.'" She began to advance like a prowling cat onto the two.

"In all respect, Ms. Cobblepot, we were just wanting to study. We have a project and your son offered that we work on it here."

"Kapelput," she corrected.

"My apologies Ms. Kapelput. Your son just uses Cobblepot so I wasn't sure."

"It's quite alright, dearie." She gave her a once over with a new glimmer in her eye.

"I think it's time for us to go now, Haven. We have work to do" Oswald muttered and clenched his teeth.

"It's alright Ozzy. if I'm going to be in your lovely home, I should at least introduce myself to the woman who runs it." Haven hummed.

"Ozzy?" Ms. Kapelput looked at her incredulously.

"It's alright, mother, it's just a nickname." Oswald stammered.

"Only _whores_ give nicknames." She hissed.

"Haven is _not_ a whore." Oswald grit his teeth.

"It's okay, Oswald. Ms. Kapelput, it's in reference to a singer that he likes." Haven said, smiling gently, and placing a hand softly on his shoulder.

"You mean that devil's noise he listen's to? So shameful, he should be listening to the likes of-"

"Let's go," Oswald grabbed Haven's hand and dragged her upstairs.

"It was nice meeting you Ms. Kapelput!" Haven called while trying to keep up with her friend.

When they got up the stairs, Haven smiled.

"I like her." Haven said, grinning at her friend.

"I don't think she likes you." Oswald said as he led her to his room.

"I really do think you have a lovely house, needs a bit of dusting, but it's beautiful." Haven looked around, not really paying attention to her friend.

When they got to Oswald's room, Haven balked. It was what she expected, but almost out of place to the pastel picturesque aesthetic of the rest of the house. Oswald's room was covered in posters of his favorite bands. His desk was stacked with books and his piggy bank. He had a yearbook with the page opened to Butch Gilzean and Arnold Flass. Their faces were scratched out by a knife and one had a drawing of a noose around his neck. On the windowsill sat a music box and a russian nesting doll set. Haven walked around looking at everything and feeling the curtains on his four poster bed. She looked at the calendar of emperor penguins that sat on his nightstand. She turned and smiled at him.

"I love penguins!"

"We should really get started before my mother comes up here and asks why we're not actually working."

"You're right, where'd you put the poster?"

Oswald pulled a large board from behind his desk. They had worked a bit in class, but it was Oswald's turn to take the poster for the break. Haven pulled markers and other supplies out of her backpack along with their textbook. They had to pick a celestial body and describe it to the class next week. Oswald chose Pluto because he liked that it was basically a giant ball of ice. Haven wanted Venus because she wanted to talk about the history of the name. They compromised and picked Neptune. They argued over where to put everything and what details to include. Oswald, ever the pessimist, insisted they don't include the random facts because no one would actually care what they said. Haven won though, because Oswald was failing the class and she knew that the extra information would give him extra credit to boost his grade.

Finally, three and a half hours later, they finished the paper covered in glue, paper scraps, and marker smudges. Haven collapsed onto the floor with her face in the carpet.

"Did you die?" Oswald poked her gently.

"I'm glad it's done, I can't wait to throw it away." Haven groaned.

"Do you want something to eat?"

Haven looked up at him with big eyes.

"Come on, I'll cook some mac and cheese." Oswald stood and helped her up.

"You're the best, Ozzy. See, this is why you're my best friend." Haven smiled and Oswald stopped.

"I'm your… best friend?"

"Of course, why wouldn't you be? Come on, I'm starving." Haven pushed him out of the room and followed him to the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

Haven sat on the floor of the kitchen while Oswald stood over the stove, stirring the noodles.

"Do you have a crush on anyone, Ozzy?" Haven said suddenly, causing Oswald to drop the spoon in the pot.

"I-no, why, did you hear something?" He stammered and fished the spoon out.

"No? I just figured there had to be _someone_ you thought was pretty besides yourself." Haven teased and pushed her hair over her shoulder.

"No, I don't really like _anyone_ ; aside from you, of course." Oswald turned off the stove and picked up the pot to strain the water out.

"Boys are weird." Haven sighed and chipped off the paint on her fingers.

Oswald watched from the corner of his eye. He knew that she hated the nail polish her mom made her get on their frequent nail salon trips. He also knew she only picked it off when she was anxious and wanted to say something. Oswald read the contemplative look on her face, whether she was finding the courage or the right words to say to him, he wasn't going to push her to say anything.

"Oswald?" She finally asked, her voice sounding tense. Haven never used his full name unless something was wrong.

"What's up?" He asked, opening the door to the fridge to pull out butter and milk, pretending his hands weren't shaking and his heart wasn't in his throat.

"I . . ." she trailed off and looked up at her best friend.

She couldn't tell him. She couldn't, her poor best friend was stressed out enough. He may be significantly smaller than the rest of the guys at Gotham Middle School, but he would stand up for her and ultimately get his ass handed to him. She trusted him with everything, hell, Oswald kept track of her periods and kept tampons around for her in case she ran out. He learned how to get blood out of clothing that day. She couldn't tell him, not now. Haven wanted to enjoy this moment with him. Just the two of them.

"Nothing, just . . . you're a really good friend, Ozzy." Haven smiled at him softly, her eyes gentle and loving.

Oswald felt his heart drop to his feet, this was not what he was hoping to hear. He scooped half the pasta into a chipped white china bowl and the other half into another. He brought the bowl over to his friend and sat next to her, pressing his shoulder against hers. Something he did to comfort her, knowing something was on her mind that she wasn't telling him. Oswald watched as Haven pushed the mac and cheese around the bowl with her spoon, chewing her lip.

"Come on, after we eat, I'll grab some nail polish remover my mom has and we'll take the nail polish off, okay?" Oswald said, nudging Haven lightly.

She gave a small smile and nudged him back. She tucked her hair behind her ear and took a spoonful. As she chewed, she laid her head on Oswald's shoulder and stared at their feet. She would tell him eventually. She had to.

A few days later, Haven hadn't been in school. Usually she'd call Oswald in the morning asking for him to take notes and grab her assignments. She didn't this time and it worried him. Maybe he had some attachment issues, especially with females. He was so used to his mother hovering over him all the time, and Haven took care of him; it distressed the boy when his best friend went awol.

 _Where are you?_

Oswald sent a text in first period, maybe she was running late. That wasn't like her though. It was hard for him to focus all day. He kept an eye on the door in every class, hoping she would walk through, saying she had a doctor's appointment or something. When the final bell rang for the day, Oswald looked at his phone again. No new messages. He was really worried. He didn't have homework to do and could stop by her house to check on her. However, his mom expected him home on time. He took the half hour walk alone, thinking of the worst that could've happened. Maybe her family had left Gotham on short notice. Maybe she had gotten into an accident and was in the hospital. Maybe Haven stopped caring about him and transferred to the prep school. Once again, Oswald felt his heart in his throat as anxiety set in. He took a deep breath and pulled out his phone, dialing Haven's number. The phone got to 5 rings before going to voicemail.

"Hi, you've reached Haven Kooris. I can't get to the phone right now, but leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can!" Her cheery voice came over the speaker.

"It's Ozzy, I'm worried. Please call me." Was all he said before he hung up.

A few blocks later he reached his house. He walked in and his mom was listening to some operatic music as was her routine around this time. He muttered a brief hello before running upstairs to his room.

"Oswald? Oswald!" His mother called after him, hearing the pounding of footsteps, a strong indicator her baby boy had had a rough day.

What could she do? Everytime she had gone to comfort him, he would yell at her, ignore her, or even slam the door in her face. He was a growing boy, emotions were a hard fact of life and he needed to learn to control his. Gertrude Cobblepot did her best to raise her son to be the great man, she knew he was.


End file.
